SF Tech Companies To Hold Open House

Mayor Lee declared October "Innovation Month" in San Francisco

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396779 08: The western span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and San Francisco skyline seen November 2, 2001. Bridge security in California has been stepped up since California Governor Gray Davis announced authorities have received very credible threats that one of California's many suspension bridges may be targeted for terrorist attack between November 2 - November 7, 2001. (Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Tech companies in San Francisco will be holding open houses at their offices in October as part of the city's efforts to highlight its commitment to innovation, Mayor Ed Lee announced today.

Lee declared October "Innovation Month" in San Francisco during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in the city's South of Market neighborhood this morning.

The mayor said the month will be filled with open houses at tech company offices around the city so people can be introduced to new ideas and technologies that are being developed.

"It will allow us to demonstrate all of the different companies that are going on here," Lee said. "We're launching this for the public, so they can understand one of the greatest industries in the city."

Ron Conway, chairman of San Francisco Citizen Initiative for Technology and Innovation (sf.citi), a group of tech companies and other organizations who advocate for civic action in the city, joined Lee for the discussion at today's event.

Conway cited new technology that he said is already starting to improve efficiency in the city, including a mobile app that will allow police officers to file reports remotely and another that will provide San Francisco Municipal Railway officials with real-time information about the agency's fleet.

Lee said the influx of tech companies in the city is also helping to generate job growth in San Francisco, which has one of the lowest unemployment rates in California.

"We're ahead of nearly every major city in the state of California in the recovery, and it's being done by our innovators," he said.

More information about the events next month will be provided on a website built by the city, www.innovatesf.com, which also features an interactive map that shows the locations of various startup companies, he said.